Knitting apparatus



Dec. 6, 1949 c. 9. W009 2,490,607

KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CHAELE5 .a wow INVENTOR..

Dec. 6, 1949 c, D. WOOD 2,490,607

KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1948 2 SheetsSheet 2 CHARLES D. WOOD INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 6, 1949 TNT 0F FICE KNITTING APPARATUS Charles DJWood, Portland, Oreg.

Application February 20, 19 48, Serial No. 9;87 0

3-Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in knitting apparatus especially adapted for home use.

It is one of theprincipal objects of the invention to provide apparatus of this character which is of simple, efficient, and durable construction and wherein relatively wide sections of web knitting may be produced having a quality equal to that produced by hand knitting.

Another-object is the provision of apparatus of this character which, due to its simplicity of construction and operation, enables an operator to accomplish knitting operations in much less time than heretofore.

A further object of the invention is the provision of tensioning means in apparatus of this character for automatically maintaining the knitting yarn under tension throughout its entire length and throughout the width and length of the web being knitted. Means are also provided for rendering said tensioning means inoperative whenwebbing of excessive thicknesses are being knitted.

A still further object is the provision of .apparatus of this character which'is entirely automatic in its operation throughout a wide opera.- tive range, and capable of utilizing any size or quality of yarn ranging from the most delicate yarn known in thetrade as Angora, and the like, to the most substantial types of woolenyarn.

Through the medium of the tensioningmeans above referred to themachine will automatically recover any drop-stitches formed intentionally or otherwise in the :web being knitted, and by this same means an operator may reverse the direction of knitting to any point throughout the length of the machine to recover or correct any errors made in the stitching.

A still further object resides in the new and novel construction of the knitting needlesprop-er which are simultaneously moved to-open or closed positions by a single stroke of a lever.

The apparatus is capable of knitting efficiently all the various types of stitching such as pearl,

plain, chain, cable, drop, and lattice knitting,

without any special attention on the part of the operator except that of merely placing the yarn in the needles.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of knitting apparatus or the like, as indicated at 8.

made in accordance with my invention which of course may be of any desired length as indicated.

Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation taken approximately along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a tensioning means.

Figures-4 and 5 are perspective views of my new and novel needles shown in open and closed positions, respectively, with fragments of yarn operatively engaged therewith.

Referring now more particularly to thedrawings:

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, referen-cenumeral l indicates, generally, a frame consisting of two horizontal beams 2 and 3 secured together as at i and adapted to be secured to a table top, work bench, or the like, as indicated at 2"; by any suitable clamping elements 6. To the forward face of the. beam 3, at opposite ends thereof, I secure brackets 1 by means'of bolts, The outer end of each bracket is apertured as at 9 toform bearings for a shaft l0 which is turned outwardly atrightangles to itself to provide an actuating handle I I. The shaft is flattened on two opposite sides throughout its length as indicated at A and I2 so that as the shaft is rotated it serves as a cam for opening and closing the knitting needles which will be more fully hereinafter described. V

Secured to the inner ends of the brackets 1 is-a fixed shaft l3 to which is secured by spot welding, or any other suitable means, the inner ends of a multiplicity of spaced apart knitting needles generally indicated at 14. At spaced intervals-along theshaft ill and swingably mounte d thereon, independent of the rotation of the shaft, area plurality of tension plates I5, as best illustrated inFigures 2 and 3.

The shaft ll! extends through the knitting needles .at or near-the centers thereof as shown.

Each needle is formed with an outwardly extending shank l6 terminating in an inwardly extending point H and an inner needle l8 terminating in an outwardly extending point I9. The needles are made of single pieces of wire bent back on themselves for attachment as at 20 to the shaft l3 as aforesaid.

From the foregoing it will be seen that movement of the handle ll into a downward position (see Figure 2) will rotate the shaft ill to so position the flattened surfaces HA and I2 thereof that the inner needles l8 will by their own resiliency move downwardly or into an open position as shown in Figures 2 and 4. An upward swing of the handle H will, of course, by the 3 cam action of the shaft I0, move the inner needles upwardly into closed position as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

For manipulating the tension plates into various positions during the knitting operation, I provide a bail member generally indicated at 2| and formed of a single piece of wire folded back on itself to form a handle 22 then bent outwardly at right angles to the handle as at 23 to form a forward section then around the shaft It, then back to the handle 22 to form a rear section 24. It will be seen that movement of the handle 22 toward the operator, or to the right as viewed in Figures 2 and 3, will elevate the rear section of as of the bail which will allow the forward end of the tension plates i to drop downwardly, and opposite rearward movement of the handle 22 will elevate the forward ends of the tension plates as shown in Figure 3.

To start the knitting operation I first move the handle 22 rearwardly to elevate the forward ends or" the tension plates l5 and then move the handle I l upwardly to close the needles, as shown in Figure 3. I then loop the yarn by a half-hitch about the end of each closed needle, the number of which determine the width of the knitting to be accomplished. The half-hitch loops are now moved rearwardly over the closed points of both needles to embrace their shanks. Then by pulling the handle 22 forwardly the outer ends of the tension plates drop downwardly so that the cutout portions 25 thereof straddle the strands of the yarn Y extending from loop to loop between the needles. I then swing the handle H downwardly to open the needles into the positions shown in Figures 2 and 4. Following this I thread or place the yarn, now doubled back from the last half-hitch (as at X in Figure 4) within the open hooks. The needles are then closed by moving the handle H upwardly. I then pull all the half-hitch loops forward and off the ends of the closed needles. As the loops come forward the strands Y of yarn between them, as aforesaid, wipe against the underside of the cut-out portions 25 of the tension plates and elevate them to the position shown in Figure 3. This upward movement of the tension plates draws the yarn X upwardly under tension to leave slack in the yarn when the tension plates are lowered. The slack thus provides sufficient yarn to form a new row of stitches which interlock with the loops being pulled off the ends of the needles. While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. Knitting apparatus of the class described comprising in combination, a supporting frame,

4 a plurality of knitting needles arranged side by side in horizontally spaced relation throughout the length of the frame, each of said needles comprising two shanks terminating in outwardly and inwardly extending points, means carried by the frame for moving said shanks with respect to each other for moving said points into and out of contact with each other, a plurality of tension plates swingably mounted upon the frame and adapted for movement between certain of said needles for applying tension to yarn extending through the needles.

2. Knitting apparatus of the class described comprising in combination a frame removably attachable to a support, a plurality of knitting needles secured to the frame and arranged in horizontally spaced relation throughout the length of the frame, each of said needles having two outwardly extending resilient shanks, one of said shanks terminating in an outwardly extending point and the other in an inwardly extending point, a cam element rotatably carried by the frame and extending between the shanks of all of said needles and adapted upon rotation to move said points of said shanks out of and into contact with each other respectively to receive and retain yarn to be knitted, tension means rotatably mounted about said cam element and adapted to be moved between certain of said needles for applying tension to yarn extending between the needles.

3. Knitting apparatus of the class described comprising in combination, a supporting frame, a plurality of knitting needles arranged side by side in horizontally spaced relation throughout the length of the frame, each of said needles being substantially hook-shaped having an outwardly extending shank and an inwardly presented point extended therefrom, a movably mounted inner needle element having an outwardly presented point constructed to register with the first named point at times to permit movement of an eye of yarn from one over the other, a shaft rotatably mounted in the frame and extending through all of said needles between the shank and inner needle element thereof, said shaft being flattened throughout its length to serve as a cam upon rotation for moving said inner needle elements and their points into and out of engagement with the points of said needles.

CHARLES D. WOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordln the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

